If religion teaches us to be good, why are history's powerful people bad?

Across the world, if there is one thing that has been able to bring together a large group of people and keep them together over a long period of time, it has been religion.

But there are so many religions in the world. And each religion believes the followers of the other religion are living an impious life, and vice versa. So who was right?

Why are the stories we hear from childhood till death, through religious texts, saints, and rituals, always teaching us that good will win in the end?

Because when I look at real history — at empires, civilizations, kings, dynasties — the pattern looks very different. It seems like the ruthless, the dominant, the ones willing to do bad things in pursuit of power are the ones who win.

And at the end I realised: religion is made for the masses.

We forget that we are the same species that once roamed naked, killing each other over food. The one who leads is the one who dominates. Dominance comes through physical size, intelligence, access to scarce resources.

But cooperation was the thing that made us humans different from the rest. It took us from hunting in groups to agriculture, and today to politics and companies.

Then there was another piece of the puzzle — spirituality. Humans are the only ones who were able to realize different states of consciousness. These few people had the ability to bring certainty into uncertain times.

Religion became a way of life. But religion didn't stay pure. Empires and rulers used religion to align thousands of people toward a shared mission — one defined by the people at the top. The original message was slowly lost.

So does that mean religion is completely made up? Yes.

And does that mean we should remove religion? No.

Because even now, there is no other force that can bring large groups of people together and keep them together for long periods of time.

History and nature teach life more honestly than religion.

Still, most rebels I know eventually take up religion. Religion provides psychological safety — living in agreement with many others reduces uncertainty and replaces isolation with belonging.

— Moghal Saif